(CNN) Florida's attorney general has requested that the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigate Michael Bloomberg's efforts to reinstate the voting rights of felons by paying their fees, according to a letter to the agencies provided to CNN by the attorney general's office. Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody said she requested that the agencies investigate "potential violations of election laws." Bloomberg, a former New York mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate , and his political operation have raised more than $16 million from supporters and foundations over the last week to pay the court fines and fees for more than 30,000 Black and Latino voters in Florida with felonies, allowing them to vote in the upcoming election. The fundraising effort, according to multiple Bloomberg aides, will benefit the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, an organization run by formerly incarcerated people who are working to make it easier for ex-felons to vote. "This transparent political ploy is just the latest example of Republicans attempting to keep Floridians disenfranchised," Jason Schechter, a Bloomberg spokesperson, told CNN.

Source: CNN September 24, 2020 01:08 UTC